Did You Know...
...that in the early 1940s GE engineer James Wright was charged with a task of utmost importance to the war effort: develop a cheap substitute for rubber that could be used to produce tires, gas masks and a whole host of military gear. Wright tackled the task diligently -- and wound up inventing Silly Putty.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8110734 | Position sensitive rotatable DJ control device The disclosure relates to a display for a device for manipulating audio in a disc jockey or similar application. A touch sensitive user rotatable member detects the position where the DJ touches the surface. Effects like needle dropping are possible for the first ti... | 02/07/2012 |
| 8106285 | Speech-driven selection of an audio file A system and method for detecting a refrain in an audio file having vocal components. The method and system includes generating a phonetic transcription of a portion of the audio file, analyzing the phonetic transcription and identifying a vocal segment in the gener... | 01/31/2012 |
| 8106284 | Playback apparatus and display method A playback apparatus is able to present song categories to the user that are suited to the current environmental noise. An audio pickup picks up noise data of the surrounding environment. A noise analyzer analyzes the noise data, and then extracts characteristic qua... | 01/31/2012 |
| 8093486 | Touch screen guitar A synthetic guitar includes a body, a neck extending from the body, and at least one touch sensor at the neck for indicating finger position of a user. The body has a receptacle for removably securing a tablet computer to the body. The tablet computer has a touch sc... | 01/10/2012 |
| 8080724 | Method and system for separating musical sound source without using sound source database Provided are an apparatus and method of separating, from a mixed signal, a sound source generated using a rhythm musical instrument based on characteristics of the rhythm musical instrument repeated in an aspect of time. The apparatus may include a separation unit t... | 12/20/2011 |
| 8049094 | Reproduction device, reproduction method, and program The present invention relates to a reproduction device, a reproduction method, and a program capable of automatically reproducing music, which has been reproduced at the time of pickup of an image, along with reproduction of the image. A reproduction device 11 | 11/01/2011 |
| 8035023 | Predictive environment music playlist selection An entertainment system has a music storage system storing a plurality of music pieces, a playback system coupled with the music storage system, a navigation system providing current map information including a present location, wherein a current map has a plurality... | 10/11/2011 |
| 8022288 | Musical instrument A musical device is disclosed that performs a variety of user defined or user controlled activities. These activities include but are not limited to producing musical notes, determining, influencing or changing the sound, quality, voice, volume or other characterist... | 09/20/2011 |
| 8017852 | Music content reproduction apparatus, method thereof and recording apparatus An apparatus for reproducing a music content includes a first acquisition unit for acquiring data of a music content, a second acquisition unit for acquiring attribute information, a reproducing unit for reproducing, into an audio reproduction output, the music cont... | 09/13/2011 |
| 8017853 | Natural human timing interface Methods and systems for simulating the natural tempo of humans are provided. The method utilizes multiples of a basic unit of duration, or quantum unit, of human timing. Unconscious, but precise, compensations occur through imperceptible changes in the timing quantu... | 09/13/2011 |
| 8003875 | Playback apparatus, playback method and program A playback apparatus is provided that includes an operation plane, a detection unit to detect which of contact relationship including first contact relationship, second contact relationship with a higher degree of contact than the first contact relationship and thir... | 08/23/2011 |
| 7977561 | Modular keyboard system Disclosed is a modular electronic musical keyboard performance system that can be separated into modules for better portability and flexibility. ... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7947890 | Program recording medium, playback device, and playback control method Disclosed is a technology that enables a user to quickly obtain associated information of a music piece to his/her taste while passively hearing music pieces. An initial screen is displayed. A box is displayed at the center of the initial screen, and a character str... | 05/24/2011 |
| 7947889 | Ensemble system An ensemble system enabling easy, flexible assignment of performance parts to the facilitator and the performers. In “setting” field, performance terminals (facilitator and piano (1 to 5)) are displayed. A pull-down menu for selecting presence/abse... | 05/24/2011 |
| 7943843 | Reactive force control apparatus for pedal of electronic keyboard instrument Reactive force control apparatus for a pedal comprises: a movement detection section that detects movement of the pedal; a solenoid that produces a reactive force in response to operation of the pedal; a reference reactive force impartment table defining intensities... | 05/17/2011 |
| 7939742 | Musical instrument with digitally controlled virtual frets A musical instrument that can play notes and scale tones without physically touching the device. Microprocessor control, and its associated DSP functionality, permit designer and performer to determine fine musical characteristics and virtual frets resulting in a pl... | 05/10/2011 |
| 7928309 | Scat guitar signal processor The disclosed subject matter includes, in one aspect, a signal processor having circuitry configured to substitute an assortment of pre-recorded sounds in place of the sound of the guitar. The pre-recorded sounds are triggered by a guitar note that is above a certai... | 04/19/2011 |
| 7928308 | Data reproducing apparatus and data reproducing method A data reproducing apparatus includes a music data reproduction list creating unit that obtains music data matching a time attribute of selected image data from a reproduction history storage unit in which a reproduction history about music data is stored and thus c... | 04/19/2011 |
| 7919704 | Voice signal blocker, talk assisting system using the same and musical instrument equipped with the same A talk assisting system has a vibration sensor for detecting tones produced through a musical instrument and a signal interrupter connected between a microphone and a sound system; while a player is fingering a music tune on the musical instrument, pieces of vibrati... | 04/05/2011 |
| 7902448 | Position sensing device A method, operation position sensor device for an electronic musical, and musical instrument for detecting an operation position of an operation member in an electronic musical instrument. A determination is made of an amount of measured light resulting from the dep... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7897863 | Electronic keyboard instrument having key driver An electronic keyboard instrument comprises a storage device that stores automatic performance data including a first event for generating a musical tone and first timing data that defines a reproduction timing of the first event, a key-driving data generator that g... | 03/01/2011 |
| 7893340 | Keyboard processing system and method Embodiments of the keyboard system that can determine accurate key operation. The system provides immediate processing of the data input streams from various strike sources, the key stroke depth data, the key strike speed data, the key strike acceleration data. The ... | 02/22/2011 |
| 7888580 | Electronic musical system and control method for controlling an electronic musical apparatus of the system An electronic musical system in which tone generator parameters of each of tone generators respectively assigned to tracks of a sequencer of an electronic musical apparatus can easily be controlled by using a musical control apparatus, while tracks are switched. In ... | 02/15/2011 |
| 7888579 | Electronic musical instrument and performance control program systems and methods An electronic musical instrument that includes an input means for inputting first performance data from a first performer side and a second performance data from a second performer side, wherein the input includes at least pitch information, query performance data a... | 02/15/2011 |
| 7880078 | Electronic keyboard instrument Respective sets of black keys and white keys of respective octaves of a keyboard 10 are defined as specific key range, respectively, to assign various tone colors of percussion instruments of a drum set to a plurality of keys included in the respective specif... | 02/01/2011 |
| 7880077 | Method and system for refining a media program item by item A media system interface (200) includes a display (210) that provides a play list (300, 400) of media items to be played, such as songs or broadcast television or radio programs. A user input device (220) such as buttons on the interface ... | 02/01/2011 |
| 7875788 | Heuristic organization and playback system A multimedia organization and playback system intelligently organizes media objects, such as music files, and plays back their contents. The system considers and analyzes multiple media object attributes to determine groups of similar songs. As a result, the system ... | 01/25/2011 |
| 7858868 | Method for classifying music using Gish distance values A method for classifying music includes providing music classification data, providing an unclassified piece of music to be classified, and deriving for each music class within the music classification data a respective Gish distance value. A finite set of a finite ... | 12/28/2010 |
| 7842876 | Multimedia object grouping, selection, and playback system A multimedia organization and playback system intelligently organizes media objects, such as music files, and plays back their contents. The system considers and analyzes multiple media object attributes to determine groups of similar songs. As a result, the system ... | 11/30/2010 |
| 7842877 | Electronic input device for use with steel pans and associated methods A system for digitizing a series of notes to be played on a steel pan/drum includes a processor, and a display device and an input device in signal communication with the processor. Software encoded on a computer-readable medium and installable on the processor has ... | 11/30/2010 |
| 7829778 | Device and method for generating a note signal and device and method for outputting an output signal indicating a pitch class A device for generating a note signal upon a manual input is described which comprises an operating means which is implemented to enable a user of the same, as an input, to define an input angle or an input angle range as the input signal, and a controller which is ... | 11/09/2010 |
| 7820903 | Electronic percussion instrument An electronic percussion instrument can carry out the control of the musical tones that is intended by the performer. The instrument includes electronic controls that set a vibration flag when the instrument is struck and a determination is made as to whether or not... | 10/26/2010 |
| 7786368 | Actuator unit for performance operator, keyboard musical instrument and actuator unit assembly An actuator unit includes: a performance operator drive device including a movable member that mechanically drives the performance operator member; an optical pattern having a pattern to cause an amount of light reflection or light transmission to gradually vary in ... | 08/31/2010 |
| 7781664 | Storage medium storing music playing program, and music playing apparatus The game apparatus stores music data which indicates at least a pitch of each of sounds which form a melody of a predetermined piece of music and an output timing to output each of the sounds. The game apparatus sequentially detects, among the sounds included in the... | 08/24/2010 |
| 7772480 | Interactive music training and entertainment system and multimedia role playing game platform A music training and entertainment system allows a user to input a selection of source music in a native format, and isolates a desired vocal or instrument component within the source music. The user selects the component of the source music against which to be comp... | 08/10/2010 |
| 7754956 | Programmable system to integrate generated signals with signals from a musical instrument A programmable system for integrating signals in a musical instrument including a programmable device that is configured to create re-callable scenes, where the scenes are representations of audio signals generated by signal devices. The programmable system also inc... | 07/13/2010 |
| 7754957 | Musical instrument capable of producing after-tones and automatic playing system An automatic player musical instrument includes an acoustic piano and an electronic system for selectively producing acoustic tones and electronic tones as regular tones equivalent to the tones to be produced for the keys moved toward the end positions and after-ton... | 07/13/2010 |
| 7750228 | Tone processing apparatus and method For at least one music piece, a storage section stores tone data of each of a plurality of fragments segmented from the music piece and stores a first descriptor indicative of a musical character of each of the fragments in association with the fragment. Descriptor ... | 07/06/2010 |
| 7745717 | Wearable electronic device In a wearable electronic device attachable to an arm, a display screen is disposed on a top face of a main body which is attached to the arm. First and second controls are arranged adjacent to opposite sides of the display screen, respectively, and project obliquely... | 06/29/2010 |
| 7745718 | Music-piece classifying apparatus and method, and related computer program A bibliographic-information impression word is generated from a bibliographic information segment about selected one of music pieces. An acoustic feature quantity of an audio signal representing the selected music piece is calculated. A feature-quantity impression w... | 06/29/2010 |
